I need to start out by saying I have no affiliation or ties to LI Decking. Jay (owner of LI Decking) was a complete stranger to my family and I when I found him via Google during my search for a deck builder. However, now that our deck is complete, I consider Jay a friend. I chuckled when I saw his business card on our counter the other day, it says "Consult - Design - Install". Notice two-thirds of the "process" on his card acknowledge that there is so much more to a customer's experience, than just the end-product (deck) they receive from him. He truly delivered on all fronts.
After being burned during our kitchen renovation last August by a local contractor (I wish I had the time to delve into that one), let's just say my wife and I were a bit hesitant to trust someone to tear down an old rotted wood deck we inherited on our new home and install a new Trex deck. We're not the Jones's, just a hard working middle-class couple who want something nice to entertain on. Price point was huge to us (we're as frugal as they come), but sometimes it's the trust factor that wins you over. Jay earned our trust from the moment he stepped in our door. He's a straight forward, honest guy, who delivered on every single item he outlined to us.
You could tell he was probably busier than the other half dozen decking companies we had over for estimates, because he didn't make promises that seemed too good to be true to win over our business. Jay under promised and over delivered big time. He gave us reasonable timelines, real practical advice for designing our deck (with a very nice 3D rendering which helped my wife visualize everything) and was honestly a pleasure to deal with throughout the whole process.
In 3 consecutive days, his team demo'd our old deck/poured concrete posts, framed and built the new deck, then completed our grand stairwell that is well over 9 ft long and is the perfect complement to our 8'x7' custom Andersen slider. His team cleaned up every last nail/miniscule scrap of wood from both the old and new decks. My wife and I have two boys under 3 years old, with a birthday party for well over 20 kids planned within 24 hours of the deck being completed. Needless to say we were a bit worried that there would be nails or small sharp pieces of wood stuck in the grass. I fine combed our entire yard and found not one scrap in it after Jay's team was done. I told my wife I was shocked that they would take the time out to really clean up that well. Again, going above and beyond expectations.
I am the type of person that researches and reads reviews online for everything before purchasing. If you are the same as me and are jaded against the stereotypical contractor/home improvement company; set those worries aside and understand that the genuine person you see when you meet Jay, is not just a façade that vanishes once he has your deposit. He is that same person even after that final payment is placed in his palm. That is the reason I call Jay a friend. He is a good man, works hard, and delivers quality work while making you feel like you're his best friend he's helping build a deck for. If the world were filled with Jay's, consumers like us would be all the better. Unfortunately, the world isn't. So be sure to trust your gut and all the reviews you read online. Big pat on the back to you and your entire team Jay (Jose the foreman and any others that were involved in our job). read more